The government can lure participants into stings where they are promised money in return for illegal activities, the 9th Court of Appeals, has ruled. If the participants willingly agree and participate, they can be arrested, even if the entire scenario is made-up. This is very bad news for California State Senator Leland Yee and Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, who were recently arrested on multiple corruption charges.

The court ruled that ATF undercover agents enticing people in sleazy bars to join them in robbing drug houses, getting their agreement, taking them to the supposed drug house, then arresting them is legal. It doesn’t matter if the drugs didn’t exist and that the whole thing was a set-up.

If ever faced with a situation like this, do what Sen Larry Pressler did when offered a bribe in what later became known as the Abscam scandal. He refused the money and immediately reported it to the very same FBI that organized the sting that offered him the bribe. Pressler survived unscathed.

Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) refused to take the bribe, saying at the time, “Wait a minute, what you are suggesting may be illegal.” He immediately reported the incident to the FBI. When Senator Pressler was told Walter Cronkite referred to him on the evening news as a “hero” he stated, “I do not consider myself a hero… what have we come to if turning down a bribe is ‘heroic’?”